Helping you get winter ready

It's part of our Blueprint for Yorkshire.

In this section…

Winter is here so make sure your home is winter ready and prepared for those cold snaps!

Sub-zero temperatures could spell disaster for your home. Cold snaps could freeze your pipes leaving you and your family without water and heat. And, if they burst, you could spend your Christmas cleaning up an almighty mess, instead of enjoying turkey dinner leftovers.

Whether you're a household customer who wants to lag your pipes or a head teacher who needs to keep your school safe over Christmas, we've got all the information you need here.

We want to do our bit to keep your home warm, safe and cosy this winter. Simply follow the advice below and download our FREE guide to preparing your home for the winter.

Yorkshire Water YouTube Channel

Helping make your home winter ready

When a cold snap strikes, it can cause havoc for your pipes with the temperatures potentially freezing them up and cutting off your water supply. Any further changes in temperature can often result in pipework bursting causing mayhem in your homes and on the roads. That's why we always advise our customers to make sure they lag their pipes and follow our advice for making sure they stay safe this winter.

However, if an incident has occurred then you can make sure that you keep up to date with all the latest problems in your area and what we are doing to fix them. Simply enter your postcode in our interactive map to find all the information you need for what's happening in your area.

What can you find out?

1. Spot the potential problem areas

Keep an eye out for any pipes, taps, cisterns, tanks and water meters in unheated areas that might be exposed to freezing temperatures.

2. Protect your pipes and taps

After identifying the pipes and taps most at risk, wrap them in lagging. Cut a piece of lagging to length and clip it on, you can then secure the lagging with cable ties as an extra measure, if you have some available.

3. Keep your central heating ticking over

Heating a home is expensive, but so is a burst pipe. If you can, try to leave your heating on constantly at a low temperature. If severe weather is forecast, set the heating to your usual level, day and night.

4. Get to grips with your stop tap

Shutting off the stop tap is the first thing you’ll need to do if your pipes freeze and then burst. They are usually located under your kitchen sink. It’s worth checking now where your stop tap is.

5. What to do if the worst happens

Turn off your stop tap and check for dripping water. No leaks? Then turn your stop tap back on and open a kitchen tap to allow melting water to flow out. Find the frozen pipe and use a hairdryer to gently melt the ice. Never use a naked flame.

Dealing with frozen pipes

The last thing you need to add more misery to a really cold snap is burst pipes. They're costly to put right, not to mention the mess and the hassle!

In this section you can find out more about how to protect your home this winter, as well as information on what to do if the worst comes to the worst.

Take a look at our video below on how you can easily fix frozen pipes.

Pipework responsibilities

Sub zero temperatures can cause water in supply pipes to freeze. When water freezes it expands which can cause pipes to crack. As temperatures begin to rise the ice will then melt and inevitably escape through the crack. Depending on the size of the crack and the location of it, this could leave you with reduced water pressure or a nasty flooding incident.

If you believe you have a problem with a cracked pipe you need to first identify where the leak is coming from as the location will determine who has responsibility for fixing the problem.

We're normally responsible for all pipework to the boundary of the street where our water main is laid - this includes water mains, stop taps in the road or pavement and pipework between the main and the boundary of the street.

If you have a leak coming from either inside your property, or outside but within the boundary of your home, then legally it is your responsibility to repair it. This could include the supply pipe between the boundary of your street to your home, stop taps on your property and all the plumbing in your home. If you live in an older property you may share a supply pipe with your neighbour or neighbours, in which case you're likely to be jointly responsible for maintaining and repairing the pipework.

Yorkshire Water YouTube Channel

Fixing Frozen Pipes

Fats and wipes can block your pipes causing nasty whiffs, overflows or even serious flooding. Over 30% of all blockages are caused by wipes and nappies been put down the toilet and ruining many Christmas' in Yorkshire.

Find out how you can avoid kitchen calamities and bathroom blockages by following the simple advice below.